Update on Ice Damage Prevention Efforts on Caspian Lake

Greensboro Association members Andy Dales, Stew Arnold, and John Schweizer met with representatives from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) in early June to discuss this year’s ice damage to numerous stretches of shoreline in February and mid-April. ANR Program Manager Perry Thomas and the Stream Flow Specialist Jeff Crocker explained that the agency’s policy regarding lake level and outflow covered all lakes in Vermont without exception. Seasonal draw-downs of lakes affect the food sources and reproduction cycles of fish and insect species in both lakes and in habitats downstream. The Greensboro Association proposed that ANR allow Hardwick Electric Department (HED), in cooperation with the GA, to set a mean lake level for both summer and winter by adjusting the dam outflow at the Caspian Beach. This proposal was rejected by the agency. However, it could be possible for the GA to petition the state to set a target lake level for Caspian, and the agency offered to provide the GA with the requisite forms and petition materials should the Association decide to pursue this option. The discussion did not address responsibility for this year’s damage or compensation for property owners who experienced damage to their shoreline. The intent behind this initial meeting was to inform the ANR of the problem and to better understand the agency’s policies and positions on this subject.

Stay tuned for updates and a possible public forum on this topic.